Wat Maha That

Better known as the Monastery of the Great Relic and is located on the city island in the central part of Ayutthaya. The monastery stood on the west bank of Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak, a prominent canal at the time. In the past, the temple had been surrounded by canals and moats, most likely for strategic and atheistic reasons. The canal was filled in towards the early part of the 20th century making it more accessible. 

The structure has been registered as a National Historic site by the Fine Arts Department as soon as March 1935 and is part of the Ayutthaya World Heritage Historical Park. 

The exact dates of the establishment of Wat Maha That are difficult to access.

The Dutch, who seems to be better at keeping records and also had a trading interest in Ayutthaya, had one of their chief merchants document some of the histories in 1640. According to Jeremias Van Vliet, of the Dutch East India Company, it was Prince U-Thong, the next King Ramathibodhi I, from 1314–1369, who built Wat Maha That.

Later chronicles mentioned that King Boromaracha II, 1424-1448 attacked Angkor and had a large number of objects removed from their temples to place in Wat Maha That.

Wat Maha That was one of the most prime monasteries of the Ayutthaya kingdom because of the religious centre and the enshrined relics of the Buddha.

Van Vliet, in 1638, described the splendour of the yearly Royal processions to Wat Maha That. It was on that occasion where the Ayutthaya Kings made their offering to their Gods and prayed for the welfare of the country.

Further mentioned in 1595, that is most likely Wat Maha That, had the interest of gemstone merchants from Flanders and stayed there for eight months.

Van Vliet also mentioned of towers collapsing and later restored. Restoration of the site seems to be an ongoing project and with each section, the prangs were made taller. 

The Wat Maha That site has been prone to lootings and damage by illegal excavations.

Johannes Vingboons, a Dutch cartographer, created a painting in 1665 and believed to be from information gathered during the time he lived in Ayutthaya.